After the club finished 14th in the Championship last season, Stoke City would have hoped to kick on this season.

However, so far, that has unfortunately not been the case.

Due to poor results, early on in the season, now former boss Michael O'Neill was relieved of his managerial duties and replaced by Alex Neil.

Unfortunately for the Potters, Neil's introduction has not seen a sharp upturn in form, either.

Since his arrival, the club have picked up a total of 18 points from their 15 matches.

That includes five wins, three draws and seven defeats, with an average of 1.2 points per match.

As a result, heading into the World Cup break, Stoke found themselves sitting  17th in the division, just two points above the relegation zone.

Indeed, the bottom of the Championship table is looking tight, with just three points between Wigan in the last relegation spot (22nd) and Rotherham in 16th

It looks set to be a nail-biting second half of the season at the BET 365 Stadium, then, with the club looking to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle.

With that said, though, a very different looking table has emerged.

 

 

Domestic goals only table

Over on Transfermarkt, the website has produced a Championship league table from the season so far, with a huge twist - only goals scored by domestic players count.

It's just a bit of fun, but interestingly, Stoke City sit fourth in that table, which is obviously quite the jump from when they are in reality.

Indeed, the Potters, in that hypothetical scenario, have claimed 35 points, which is 10 more than they have in the actual Championship so far this season.

That points tally puts them just above West Bromwich Albion in this scenario, who have 35 points in 5th, and just behind Middlesbrough in 3rd with 36.

Naturally, the club also have more wins, more draws, less defeats and a better goal difference in the hypothetical Transfermarkt table where only domestic goals count than they do in reality, too.

Top of the domestic goalscorers table would be Luton Town, who would have put a remarkable 43 points on the board if only goals from domestic players counted.

Indeed, it is not such good news for Wigan, though, who sit bottom of this hypothetical table with just 14 points.